It’s been one week since you looked at me March 12, 2009

One week down, one to go.This is me, patting myself on the back for keeping (relatively) calm and only losing it a couple of times and only to one or two people (Except for that time I alerted the entire internet to what was in my underpants. But let’s not count that one, okay?) Today I’m probably way happier than I should be and this is due to waking up this morning to weird, pinging pains in my lower abdomen, kind of taking turns going from side to side. I thought, Hmm. I must be psyching myself into these pains. But they didn’t go away. They’re still here now. So of course I finally succumbed to Google, that wily bastard, and found out that yes – slight cramping and ovary pain is common when the egg is implanting in the uterus, which is what should be happening to me right about now. It’s been one week since the procedure was done and this is the first time I’m actually feeling anything, which is why I’m celebrating with some Everclear, a couple of joints and a big crack rock. Hey, if Courtney Love and Anna Nicole can do it, why can’t I. Kidding! God, karma – that was a joke!

I was giving some work to our student helper this morning and made the mistake of asking him what he was doing here, being that it’s Spring Break and all. He got kind of sad and said he needed the money to pay his rent so he decided to stay here and work. I told him that was very responsible of him and he should be proud of himself. Then we both laughed at how lame that sounded. While we were talking, his roommate called from Key West to brag about being drunk already, even though it was only 10:30 a.m. Ouch. I feel bad for the poor kid. I took advantage of Spring Break several years beyond college, but that was only because I lived in Florida and it was hard to avoid it.

What is it about women who work in social work feeling the need to hyphenate their name? I guess I can understand some people’s reasoning, but seriously I would only do it if I ended up with a cool sounding name. I have someone taking one of our classes right now who’s last name is McCrea-McClary. I feel like calling her and saying, “Hi. Listen, I was wondering. Do you ever get comments about how annoying your last name sounds? Under redundant see: redundant.” Stuff like that stays with me for YEARS.

I got a lovely gift box from Swistle yesterday, full of beautiful different colored cloth napkins and some cool napkin rings. She is starting a cloth napkin revolution and I’m excited to be a part of it. The scary part was all the different colors she sent me would be colors I would’ve picked out myself and all match in my dining room. It blew me away. Of course I probably won’t let Brian use them, but he rarely uses paper napkins either, so that works out well. I love linens of any and every kind and I’m amazed I never thought to buy these before. Just looking at them makes me happy. All of a sudden I have a yearning for new sheets though. This could be dangerous if not stopped.

Our weather. It’s laughable, really. For the past few days, we’ve enjoyed beautiful sunny days with highs in the 70’s and 80’s. My Dogwood tree is starting to bud and elsewhere pink and white blooms are showing. I’ve been changing into t-shirts, shorts and flip flops every day after work. Starting tonight all that changes. Tomorrow’s high is 46 and it’s supposed to rain for the next five days. March, you are a crafty one. Did you forget that you’re supposed to be in like a lion, out like a lamb and not vice versa? It’s okay. Variety is the spice of life and I’m not complaining about it. This will be our best electric bill all year, at least until October.

I’m now going outside to walk around the building for a little while and contemplate my ovaries. I hope everybody’s having a lovely Thursday.

Tell that kid that I was so lame, I never even considered going on spring break trips to the beach or anything – in part because I knew I couldn’t afford it and my parents would never pay for it. And you know what? I have more brain cells unkilled by booze than my fellow college grads, and fewer STDs, and I don’t regret it one bit. Go lameness.

I agree with you about hyphenated names. They seem like they’d be way, way more of a pain in the ass than either taking your spouse’s name or keeping your own, no matter how much of a moral sacrifice it is for you or your spouse to do so.

I also wonder, and this is completely random, if there’s some kind of weird snobbishness in it, because before women’s lib hyphenated names were restricted to nobles in Britain and Europe. “Yes, I’m Mrs. Kensington-Fossington-Herblemston-Smith, sniff sniff.” Instead of being Mrs. Smith, already.

Cris – HAHAHA! What a great observation about the hypens! I think you’re probably right too – who’s idea was that and why? I may have to now do some research on it; it’s going to bug me. Signed, Mrs. Kim Thurston-Howell, The Third.

I am a near professional cloth napkin folder. When we use our cloth napkins at holiday time. I talk a couple of hours, and a little research, and surprise everyone with a new cloth “folding”…it is my little thing.